Unification of the Rheological Physics of Yield Stress Fluids

Phys Rev Lett. 2021 May 28;126(21):218002. doi: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.126.218002.

Abstract

The physics above and below the yield stress is unified by a simple model for viscoplasticity that accounts for the nonlinear rheology of multiple yield stress fluids. The model has a rate-dependent relaxation time, allows for plastic deformation below the yield stress, and indicates that rapid elastic deformation aids yielding. A range of commonly observed rheological behaviors are predicted, including the smooth overshoot in the loss modulus and the recently discovered contributions from recoverable and unrecoverable strains in amplitude sweeps.